Chiara Castellani

Chiara Castellani, Enrico Turco, Domenico Prattichizzo

In this paper, we present a novel hybrid approach that combines Reinforcement Learning (RL) with Dynamic Window Approach (DWA) for adaptive 3D local navigation of high-degree-of-freedom robotic systems. Our method leverages sparse point cloud data to dynamically adjust both the motion and the shape of a deformable microrobot, enabling the system to navigate toward a goal in complex, constrained environments while maximizing the occupied volume. We evaluate our framework in a simulated vascular network. Experimental results, based on 1080 trials, indicate that integrating RL with a DWA-based local planner significantly enhances both deformation and navigation capabilities compared to a pure RL and a model-based methods. In particular, the proposed autonomous controller consistently achieves high deformation and near-perfect path completion during training and maintains robust performance in unseen scenarios. These findings highlight the potential of hybrid planning strategies for efficient and adaptive 3D navigation under sparse sensory conditions.

Diego Perazzolo, Pietro Fanton, Ilaria Barison et al.

Given the increasing complexity of omics datasets, a key challenge is not only improving classification performance but also enhancing the transparency and reliability of model decisions. Effective model performance and feature selection are fundamental for explainability and reliability. In many cases, high dimensional omics datasets suffer from limited number of samples due to clinical constraints, patient conditions, phenotypes rarity and others conditions. Current omics based classification models often suffer from narrow interpretability, making it difficult to discern meaningful insights where trust and reproducibility are critical. This study presents a machine learning based classification framework that integrates feature selection with data augmentation techniques to achieve high standard classification accuracy while ensuring better interpretability. Using the publicly available dataset (E MTAB 8026), we explore a bootstrap analysis in six binary classification scenarios to evaluate the proposed model's behaviour. We show that the proposed pipeline yields cross validated perfomance on small dataset that is conserved when the trained classifier is applied to a larger test set. Our findings emphasize the fundamental balance between accuracy and feature selection, highlighting the positive effect of introducing synthetic data for better generalization, even in scenarios with very limited samples availability.

Diego Perazzolo, Chiara Castellani, Enrico Grisan

Population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) modelling is a fundamental tool for understanding drug behaviour across diverse patient populations and enabling personalized dosing strategies to improve therapeutic outcomes. A key challenge in PopPK analysis lies in identifying and modelling covariates that influence drug absorption, as these relationships are often complex and nonlinear. Traditional methods may fail to capture hidden patterns within the data. In this study, we propose a data-driven, model-free framework that integrates Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) deep learning model and LASSO regression to uncover key covariates from simulated tacrolimus pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles. The VAE compresses high-dimensional PK signals into a structured latent space, achieving accurate reconstruction with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 2.26%. LASSO regression is then applied to map patient-specific covariates to the latent space, enabling sparse feature selection through L1 regularization. This approach consistently identifies clinically relevant covariates for tacrolimus including SNP, age, albumin, and hemoglobin which are retained across the tested regularization strength levels, while effectively discarding non-informative features. The proposed VAE-LASSO methodology offers a scalable, interpretable, and fully data-driven solution for covariate selection, with promising applications in drug development and precision pharmacotherapy.